Shoe-tree.



W. F. McCLELLAN.

SHOE TREE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.fi| 1914.

1,142,595. Patented June 8, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHOTD-LITHO WASHINGTON D. C

WILLIAM FORD .McCLEL-LAN', OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

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Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented June 8, 1915.

1 Application filed August 6, 1914. Serial No. 855,451.

TogaZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, WVILLIAM Form CLELLAN, a citizen of the UnitedStatearesiding at, Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe Trees; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and, exact description of the invention, suchas will enable others, skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in shoe trees and has for its main object to improve upon devices Ofthischaracter to such an extent asto provide an extremely simple yet highly eflicienttree'which may be inexpensively constructed. In carrying out the above end, I provide a -pair of slidably engaged overlapped strips,-

toe and heel engaging members carried by said strips and a 1 locking device whereby said-strips may be locked in any one of their adjusted positions.

A further object of the/invention becomes to construct the'locking device of a single piece of resilient wire and to so form the same as to allow the strips to slide one upon the other in one direction but to prevent movement thereof in the opposite direction.

A, further object is to so form the opposite ends of the strips as to provide efficient guides and means for attachment of the heel and toe engaging members.

Yet another object is to provide, in connection with the above mentioned features, an inclined and curved resilient plate de-. signed to support the vamp of the shoe in proper position.

With the above and minor objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein describedand claimed and shown in the drawings whereinfront'and rear strips 1 and 2 which are overlapped and slidably engaged, a toe enseein mber carriedbr h st p; a

heel engaging member 4 carried by the strip 2, and a locking device 5 for locking the.

strips 1 and 2 in adjusted position.

The forward ,end of; the strip 1 is turned upwardly to provide an attaching ear or foot- 6; through which fastening screws 7,

are passed into the rear endof thetoeuenr.

gaging member 3, said member being here Shown the form ofv a suitably shaped block.-

Interposed between the ear 6 and the member 3, is an upright attaching shank 8 which is formed on the lowerend of an upwardly and. rearwardly inclining vamp supporting,

plate 9, said plate being widened at its upper end as indicated at 1Q and being icurved a propereXtent to allow the same to snugly engage the under side of saidvamp. This plate 9 is formed of resilient material in orderthatit may yield to conformgto shoes having either high or;1ow insteps.

{The rear endof thestrip l'is formed into a transverse bearing. loopall which overlies, the strip 2 and which receivesa link 12.

which embraces said strip '2, the forwardjejnd of said last mentioned strip being formed. into a transverse loop, 13 which underlies the strip 1 and which-receives a link l iembracing said strip 1;. By, this means, the

two members .1 and 2 are slidably connected.

The rear end of the strip 2 is here shown as being ibent upwardly to form an attaching passed into the forward side of the heel en gaging memberffli, the latter being here shown in the form of a substantially semicylindricalblock.- Said strip 2 islikewise provided with a longitudinal series of openings;15 the walls of which constitute stops for coaction with the locking device 5 in a manner to, be set forth.

'The device 5 comprises a transverse rock shaft 16 which is mounted in the loop ll adjacent the link 12, an inwardly extending arm 17 formed'integrally with one end of said shaft and having a depending nose 18. on its freeend,saidnose being adapted for engagement with said: openings 15, an up? right lever 19 formed integrally with and rising from the opposite end of said rock shaft 16, and a substantially upright spring member 20 having its upper end formed.in-

ally extended foot 21 which contacts with the upper surface of the strip 1.

As clearly seen in the drawings, the arm 17 is shown as substantially L-shape although this formation need not be followed too strictly since a rectilinear arm would operate to equal advantage for constituting a detent cooperating with the openings 15.

With the parts as above described, the strips 1 and 2 may be pulled outwardly in opposite directionsduring which movement the nose 18 will disengage certain of the openings 15 v and engage other openings thereby locking the device in any one of its adjusted positions, it being understood that the action of the spring arm 20 normally retains said nosein yielding engagement with the upper surface of the strip 2 or with the walls of said openings as the case may be. When the parts stand in locked position, as seen in full lines in Fig. 1, it will be noted thatthe nose 18 inclines to an extent great enough to allow the same to be retracted against the tension of the spring arm 20 when the strips 1 and 2 are moved outwardly. but the said nose will more closely engage the walls of said openings when said strips are forced toward each other, provided the lever 19 be not rocked around its pivot 16. When said lever is rocked, however, the spring arm 90 assumes the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the arm 17 and nose 18 are raised to the position likewise seen in dotted lines in said figure thereby allowing the two strips 1 and 2 to be adjusted one toward the other.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have produced an extremely simple construction for carrying out the objects of the invention, that the locking device 5 may be constructed of a.

single piece of wire and therefore inexpensively manufactured, that the construc tion of thestrips 1 and 2 is extremely simple for gaining the functions for which said strips are designed and that the provision of the yielding plate 9 will effectually support the vamp of a shoe as hereinbefore set forth.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe tree comprising a pair of over-- lapped slidably engaged strips, a plurality of longitudinally spaced stops on one strip, and a pivotally mounted spring pressed detent on the other strip and adapted to engage said stops.

2. A shoe tree comprising a pair of overlapped slidably engaged strips, a plurality of stops on one strip, a transverse bearing on the other strip, a transverse rock shaft in said bearing, a detent projecting rigidly from one end of said rock shaft and adapted to engage said stops, an operating lever rigidly connected to the other end of the shaft and a spring for normally engaging said detent with one of said stops.

3. A shoe tree comprising a pair of overlapped slidably engaged strips, a plurality of stops on one strip, a bearing on the other strip, a transverse rock shaft in said bearing, a detent projecting rigidly from one end of said shaft and adapted to engage said stops, an operating lever rising from the other end of the shaft and a spring attached'to the lever and bearing against one of said strips whereby to normally force said detent into engagement with one of said stops.

4. A shoe tree comprising a pair of overlapped slidably engaged strips, a plurality of stops on one strip, a bearing on the other strip, a transverse shaft in said bearing, a detent projecting rigidly from one end of said shaft and adapted to engage said stops, an operating lever rising from the other end of the shaft and a substantially upright spring formed integrally with the upper end of the lever and bearing at its lower end against one of said strips.

5. In a shoe tree, the combination with a pair of slidably engaged overlapped strips, a bearing on the inner end of one strip and a plurality of stops on the adjacent portion of the other strip, of a locking device comprising a transverse shaft mounted in said bearing, an inwardly extending arm on one end of said shaft and having a depending nose adapted to engage said stops, a lever formed integrally with and risingfrom the other end of said shaft, and a substantially upright spring arm form-ed integrally with the lever and having a foot contacting with one of said strips.

6. A shoe tree" comprislng a pair of flat overlapped slidably engaged strips having their outer ends bent upwardly to form attaching feet, toe and heel engaging blocks contacting with said feet, fastening elements passing through said feet and into said blocks and alocking device for ecuring said strips against movement.

7. In a shoe tree, a toe engaging block shaped to conform to the shape of the toe of a shoe, an inclined plate secured at its front end to said block and extending rearwardly therefrom, said plate being formed of resilient material, and means whereby said block may be forced into the toe of a shoe.

8. In a shoe tree, a heel engaging member, a strip forward of said heel engaging member and slidably connected therewith, said strip having its forward end turned upwardly to provide an attaching car, a toe engaging block spaced forwardly from said ear, an upwardly and rearwardly inclining curved resilient plate having its forward end located between said ear and said block, my hand in presence of two subscribing Witand fastefning elements passing through said nesses. I ear, the orWard end of said resilient plate V and into said block, the upper rear end of WILLIAM FORD MCOLELLAN said plate being increased in Width for the Witnesses: a f

EDWARD H. PARSONS,

purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set GEO. E. M'ILLER'.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

washington l). G. 

